AUTHOR=Verstraete Andreas , Herregods Marie Christine , Verbrugghe Peter , Lamberigts Marie , Vanassche Thomas , Meyns Bart , Oosterlinck Wouter , Rega Filip , Adriaenssens Tom , Van Hoof Lucas , Keuleers Siegmund , Vandenbriele Christophe , Sinnaeve Peter , Janssens Stefan , Dubois Christophe , Meuris Bart , Verhamme Peter TITLE=Antithrombotic Treatment After Surgical and Transcatheter Heart Valve Repair and Replacement JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.702780 DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.702780 ISSN=2297-055X ABSTRACT=

New antithrombotic drugs have been developed, new valve types have been designed and minimally invasive transcatheter techniques have emerged, making the choice of antithrombotic therapy after surgical or transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement increasingly complex. Moreover, due to a lack of large randomized controlled trials many recommendations for antithrombotic therapy are based on expert opinion, reflected by divergent recommendations in current guidelines. Therefore, decision-making in clinical practice regarding antithrombotic therapy for prosthetic heart valves is difficult, potentially resulting in sub-optimal patient treatment. This article compares the 2017 ESC/EACTS and 2020 ACC/AHA guidelines on the management of valvular heart disease and summarizes the available evidence. Finally, we established a convenient consensus on antithrombotic therapy after valve interventions based on over 800 annual cases of surgical and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement and a multidisciplinary team discussion between the department of cardiovascular diseases and cardiac surgery of the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.